The Flying Crown
"The Flying Crown" is the twenty-seventh episode of the Disney Junior animated series, Sofia the First. It premiered on April 11, 2014, and is the third episode of the second season. Overview When James sprains his wrist, he can't ride with Sofia in the upcoming flying derby championship race against the Junior Knights. When Prince Hugo is paired with Sofia, she teaches him the true meaning of teamwork so they can win the championship race. Meanwhile, James tries to think of a way to be part of the team since he can't ride. Plot Sofia and James are in a flying derby race against two riders and holding last place. James gives Sofia a wing blast, and she takes the lead. Both Sofia and James are in the lead, but the rival team is catching up. Sofia suggests James race ahead while she holds them off by blocking them. With a huge lead, James crosses the finish line first with Sofia second, winning for Royal Prep. The audience starts cheering for Sofia and James' victory, except for Prince Hugo, who is feeling bad and sulking by his older brother Prince Axel and his father King Garrick. When the cheer is finished, Axel boasts to Hugo how the school used to sing that cheer for him when he flew across the finish line until Garrick tells him that Hugo already feels bad enough and they don't want him to feel worse. Axel apologizes to his little brother for hurting his feelings, knowing he wanted to be on that team. Hugo doesn't understand why he's not on the team since he's a great rider, and Axel rubs in the fact that Sofia and James beat him in the tryout race. But Axel tells him that someday he'll be a derby star. Everybody is delighted because Sofia and James are going to the flying derby championship, where they will be racing for the Flying Crown against the riders of the Junior Knights Academy. James is excited and starts imagining what he and Sofia will do until he trips on a rock and sprains his wrist. He can't ride for two weeks, which means he can't ride with Sofia in the championship. The best rider to ride with Sofia in the championship race is...Prince Hugo! Sofia is nice enough to give him a chance and put aside what happened in the tryout race, but Hugo has other plans: he states that they don't need team-plays to win the Flying Crown. The next day, Sofia and her pegasus pony Minimus are ready to practice. Minimus is nervous about their new teammate, and Sofia is hoping Hugo will be nicer. But Minimus is more nervous about Hugo's new flying horse Electra because she's so perfect that it's terrifying. Sir Gillium shows up with James as his assistant coach and tells Sofia and her new teammate a few things about the riders of Junior Knights Academy. They're known to be the toughest riders Royal Prep has ever competed against. In order to get Hugo to work with her (not to mention beat the Junior Knights), Sofia asks Sir Gillium if she and Hugo could learn the Flying Slingshot, the riskiest flying derby play ever where in mid-air, the riders had to line up side by side, reach across their horses and grab hands, spin in a circle, and the bigger rider has to sling the smaller rider at just the right moment. Sofia hopes she and Hugo could practice that play, but Hugo abandons her and proudly rides off to practice alone, much to her dismay. Later in the day after school, Sofia heads for the stables, and her sister Amber notices something is wrong. Sofia tells her friends that Hugo isn't easy to work with because he doesn't want to practice with her, and she doesn't know what to do. Just then, Squires Vaughan and Vance from Junior Knights Academy arrive at Royal Prep a day early to practice on the course. When Sofia and Hugo meet the riders, Vaughan challenges Hugo to a small race around the school and easily beats him. Hugo is upset over losing again, and he still doesn't want to practice with Sofia. She sings to him the Royal Prep cheer to boost his spirit and cheer him up, but it only makes him feel bad. Electra explains to the princess that everybody in Hugo's family have heard the cheer when they won, but not Hugo himself. Sofia finally understands that Hugo has been feeling left out and wants to have the same experience. Sofia reasons with him, knowing that his father was on the flying derby team when he was at Royal Prep. Hugo also says that his brother, uncle, and grandfather were also on the team when they were each at Royal Prep. Sofia knows that none of them have won the Flying Crown, and she tells him that they have a chance. But they need to do the flying slingshot because it's the only play that can help them beat a rider as fast as Squire Vaughan. If they work together, not only will they win the championship, but Hugo will be the first in his family ever to win the Flying Crown, and the whole school will finally cheer for him. Despite his reluctance, Hugo finally agrees to work with Sofia. Meanwhile, James is given a new job to groom the flying horses and gives Minimus and Electra a scrub down, only to make a mess in the stables. Sir Gillium finally comes up with the best job for James: dressing up as the team mascot, which would give his sister and her teammate confidence to win. The next day, Sofia and Hugo are ready to practice on the course. Since Hugo is bigger and stronger and Sofia is smaller, she'll need Hugo to sling her. Hugo knows that if he does, she'll cross the finish line first. Sofia admits that it really doesn't matter to her if Hugo crosses first, and he asks her to sling him. Sofia agrees, despite not being as strong as Hugo. The first try doesn't go too well, and it turns out that Sofia is only strong enough to fling Hugo off Electra and into the haystacks. No matter how hard Sofia tries, she keeps accidentally slinging Hugo into the haystacks. When the teammates try again a third time, Sofia flings Hugo into the fountain. Axel shows up and finds his little brother in the fountain, unaware that Sofia had flung him in the fountain in the first place. Axel reminds Hugo that the whole family is going to be watching, and he jokes with his little brother that he needs to win or not come home. Frustrated about not getting the slingshot right and having his buttons pushed, Hugo throws his jersey away and quits on Sofia, much to her horror. Electra knows that Hugo's biggest problem is that while he's a great rider, but he doesn't know the first thing about being a good teammate. Sofia finds James wearing a flying horse costume and making a lot of noise, and she asks her brother to help her inspire Hugo. It's time for the championship, and the first rider to cross the finish line has the team winning the Flying Crown. The Junior Knights arrive on the course, but Sofia and Hugo don't show up when they are announced. James comes out, and the crowd cheers when he asks if they want the team to come out. Sofia finds Hugo in the stables, and she tells him that she can't race without him, but Hugo is too upset to listen. However, he hears the crowd singing the school cheer. When Sofia takes him out, it turns out that James and the crowd are singing for them much to Hugo's surprise. Listening to the lyrics, Hugo finally understands that it's really not about winning, but being part of a team. Hugo agrees to race with Sofia, and Electra gives him his jersey back. Finally, Sofia and Hugo arrive on the course and join Vaughan and Vance, who are jealous of Hugo for his blooming friendship with Sofia. When Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather give the word, the four riders take off, with Vaughan and Vance taking the early lead. Sofia and Hugo are unable to pass as they go under the bridge. Sofia gives Hugo a wing blast, allowing him to fly ahead, but Vaughan and Vance still hold the lead. After passing the bell tower, Sofia and Hugo are running out of time as they get near the finish line. Despite not having done it right, Sofia says that they need to try the slingshot, but this time, Hugo insists on slinging Sofia since he's bigger and stronger. The teammates line up side by side, reach across their horses and grab hands. With the crowd in worry, Sofia and Hugo begin to spin in a circle while in mid-air, and at the right moment, Hugo successfully slings Sofia into the lead. She and Minimus cross the finish line first, and Royal Prep wins the Flying Crown, much to the Junior Knights' surprise. While the crowd cheers for the riders, everybody is proud of them. Axel says that Hugo takes after him, but Hugo reminds him that he takes after Sofia, who had taught him the meaning of teamwork and turned his heart into gold. Transcript The Flying Crown Transcript Trivia *Sofia reforms Hugo in this episode. *Hugo's older brother Axel and his father Garrick make their debut appearances in this episode. **Garrick is unnamed in this episode, and his name is revealed in the season 3 episode "Lord of the Rink". *Sofia doesn't wear her signature gown and tiara, and James doesn't wear his signature outfit. *Hugo usually wears his flying derby outfit, but this episode reveals his princely form to include a black jacket, a tan vest, and a red tie. *The team jerseys James, Sofia, and Hugo wore were different from the ones in Just One of the Princes. *'Moral lesson:' A true champion is always a good teammate. Goofs *Hugo was already wearing a team jersey before he even knew he was needed on the team. *James' and Hugo's blue helmets have buckles, but Sofia's blue helmet doesn't, and neither do the helmets they wear with their practice clothes. All helmets should have buckles. *Keith Ferguson voiced both King Garrick and the Announcer in this episode, but Ferguson was only credited as the Announcer. *When Sofia and Hugo got off their horses, Hugo had the Flying Crown in his hands. But when Amber complimented them on how they were in the race, the Crown disappeared, and Hugo had his hands behind his back. When Axel appeared and said that Hugo takes after him, Hugo was holding the Crown again. *Axel showed up shortly after Hugo landed in the fountain but acted like he didn't just see Sofia fling his little brother in there in the first place. Category:Episodes Category:Season Two